Dragoncrest Cliffs I'm small but an explorer!

The little boy who was new to Sapphique had recently turned 2 months old. He was smaller than he should be at this age, but mentally much more mature. He wanted to explore the world around him as well. So, little Ravin decided to head out into the territory. Not too far, just a bit away from his den, into a field, to look around

Could someone please add her back to Sapphique?

Hey! Wait for me! Astera was enraged that her brother was thinking of leaving without her. You wouldn't dare leave me behind, right? While she was excited about going on an adventure, a little part of her wanted to keep her brother safe, being the more agile and sharp of the two. 

There was a beach nearby, and while the siblings had not yet been allowed to go swim, seeing that Astera had been a little ill recently, she thought it would be a perfect time to sneak away for a beach visit. Ravin... should we go see the shore? The sunbeam kept her voice down, careful not to be heard.

gotcha :) Hope you don't mind me joining! I'd like for Suzu to get a caretaker trade :)

Suzu couldn't have been happier about the new additions to the pack- and prouder still to see them grow after having been rescued. Occasionally she would revisit the Sound to see if any others lingered there still, though she realized at this point that if there had been others, they were gone by now. She could only hope that someone else had taken them in. 

She went looking for Ravin and Astera only to find them out in the meadow. She worried still about the birds that wheeled overhead, though it had been months since she'd last seen another eagle- and at this point, Ravin and Astera might be too big to be carried off anyway. The latter had been under the weather, and Suzu had gone off in search for a treat of sea urchin eggs to help raise her spirits. She came up through the tunnel near the edge of the meadow with an open shell clasped in her teeth, a pile of bright yellow urchin eggs in it. 

She didn't hear the conversation over the breeze, but woofed softly to get their attention as she approached, the treat carried in her mouth.

Ravin nodded, enthusiastically. "Yes! I wanna see de water!" He said happily. He then heard Suzu approach though, and soon saw her. "Suzu! Take us to de shore!" He asked.

As soon as he yipped, Astera shot Ravin a silencing glare. Silly pup! They would never be able to sneak away with him carelessly blurting out plans. And yet, she held on to hope that Suzu would be kind enough to let them see the waves. Astera mood quickly brightened up when she saw the treat her foster sister was carrying. Sea urchin eggs! They were not new to Astera, but relished all the same. Licking them from the shell, she looked up at Suzu happily. Thanks!

Astera seemed to enjoy the treat, and Suzu grinned, glad for once to share her food with someone else. Surely, she thought, she could be the 'cool' older sister if she brought them treats and took them for trips. Her two other sisters were possibly a bit too young yet to go to the beach- but these two had a bit more growth...Surely, she thought, her mother wouldn't mind if she took them on a safe, escorted trip to the beach through the tunnel. 

"Let's go, den," She said, motioning toward the dark tunnel in the distance with a tilt of her chin. "Before Maman sees us," She added mischievously, and picked up a slow, but bouncy trot to lead them.

Ravin is now an NPC, so I assume I continue the thread, while referencing him?

Permission had been granted! Astera made a mental note to ask Suzu whenever she wanted to go explore. She raced ahead of her, eager to see the water, while her brother trailed behind. She stumbled and took a long roll through the grass, shaking the scraps of earth of her pale coat when she recovered. The shore awaited.

sure!

So long as she kept eyes on the two of them, she felt confident that her mother wouldn't mind her taking the kids down to the beach. They were likely bored of the lake, and of the meadow where they'd been kept, and it was just as well that they learned to understand and appreciate the ocean as early as possible. She couldn't remember ever being wary of the surf and the waves, and had always been in awe of its power. 

To reach the beach, they would head into the dark tunnel that led down through the cliffs. "Follow along," She called, to encourage them as she stepped into the darkness. There was not much light inside the tunnel, and they would travel for some time in near complete darkness- but she knew the path well, and would guide both Astera and Ravin along even if they became frightened.

The dark tunnel was intimidating to Astera. She pressed closer to Suzu and her brother, staying close as she followed them in. Where's the sun? The darkness did not last too long, thankfully, as they were back into the light once more. The beach stretched on before her. Seagulls screeched in the sky, and crabs scuttled on the sand. Whoa... its huge! Most awe inspiring were the waves, as they crashed at the shore, lapping at the sandy beach. Astera ran, kicking up sand with her little puppy paws.

"De sun is outside; we are underground right now," She said calmly. "Dis tunnel leades from de meadow an' down to Sirensong Beach, which be where we are goin'. It is de safest beach for us, as outsiders cannot reach it, but dere be lots for us to do dere," She said. It was one of Suzu's favourite places to go- food seemed plentiful, and for very little effort as well. Tide pools made for an excellent source of snacks, and seafood helped her stay plush and healthy. 

They moved out into the daylight and she allowed Astera and Ravin to go out first, marvelling at the sight of the ocean. "It never ends," She called out, striding forward and down onto the sandy beach. "Watch out for de waves, though- just stay where de sand is dark, an' de waves will come to you, gently." She gazed out along the beach, to see if she could spot any telltale signs of a ripcurrent. The beach looked even, and the sweel on the waves grew and formed in long lines, leaving no gaps for a riptide. She knew better than to allow a child to go too close to the water if there was a chance they could be swept away in an instant.

Come on, Ravin! Astera beckoned for her sibling to come join her. Following instructions, she stayed where the water had just receded, leaving the sand a darker shade than the rest of the beach. The wet sand clung to the bottom of her paws, and she left tracks as she padded along the beach. The next wave came, and however small it was, it almost knocked Astera off her little puppy feet. She indignantly chased after the wave, going a bit deeper in the water than she should have. Actions have consequences, and she was pushed to shore by the next wave. Astera emerged a shivering, soaked bundle of pale fur.

Ever the bold one, Astera ran for the sand, where it was damp, but safe. Suzu knew there was a fine line between where the waves came in like a soft blanket and where they crashed against the ground, and pulled the grains of sand, rocks, and everything unrooted back out into the water. She recognized it the instant that Astera moved to chase the wave, that the next one would overcome her. She shouted, but it was too late- and the pup disappeared for a moment amid the rush of seafoam and dark waters. 

Fortunately, she'd already checked for riptides, and when the wave pushed back to land, it left the pup gasping on the sand. She approached, and sighed. "Awww, Astera," She said, moving into the ankle-deep waters. "You be very brave, but de waves are strong; strong enough sometimes to pull even someone like me out into de depths," She said. "Shake out your coat- you will warm up widdout all dat water on you," She instructed. Like all wolves of Sapphique, Astera would need to learn how to tolerate the cold waters, and swim in them- 

but all in good time, and with proper supervision.

Astera shook herself from head to tail, sending droplets of salty seawater flying. She was reassured by Suzu's words, but not enough to go back into the water. Besides, she was tired and hungry after a day of exploration. I wanna go home! I'm hungry! It didn't matter to her if Ravin was done having fun, but in that moment all that mattered to Astera was her own needs, a selfish feeling that would fade as she got older. Despite her scare, Astera was sure that she would come and chase the waves again, but that was for another day.

She knew the feeling. The first, frigid wave of cold water could really hit- and even on a warm, sunny day the chill could sink right in through the fur and leave a wolf wordless for a moment or two. She knew that the ocean's chill could be tolerated and even enjoyed, so long as one kept moving- but for children, it was much harder to suffer the initial sting. So when Astera quickly decided she'd had enough, Suzu gave her head a lick and motioned for Ravin to come along as well. 

Suzu was not the sort to turn down the opportunity to grab a snack, so she motioned toward the tunnel. "We'll pick you up somet'ing from a cache on de way home, how does dat sound?" She asked. "De more we move, the warmer you will feel, I promise!"

Astera was not convinced. Her fur still felt heavy and cold, every step was taking more energy. She perked up at the mention of food. What... what's a cache? Is it one of the trap things? Astera had no idea what a trap was, but after overhearing the adults talking about them, and then coming back with food, she assumed the two things were somehow related.

"A cache?" She asked, oblivious to the fact that children had likely been eating more fresh meat than stored meat. Her mother would have hunted for them, but Suzu was not a skilled hunter. She was an excellent scavenger, and was even better at stashing food away so that she could snack whenever she wanted. She had several nooks throughout the pack's claim where she regularly stashed small meals so that if she woke up hungry, she wouldn't have to go far to feed herself again. 

"It is not a trap, no. It is where we store food, for later," She said. "We catch and eat food, yes, but we also stash some of it for harder times, or when we want to eat without having to hunt." She explained.

Ohhhhh, but doesn't the food rot, and bugs will eat it? Astera sat down, impressed by her own knowledge of insects. She had mostly been given milk, and the occasional taste of fresh meat, and she wrinkled her nose at the thought of old, worm ridden food. And what was a trap, if a cache was where you stored food? Can you show me a trap, Suzu?

"Well, if left long enough, yes," She said. Buried food could go bad, but it wasn't intended to last forever. "In winter, it lasts longer, especially if it is frozen. Dat is when we need, an' use, caches de most." Of course, it was also much harder to chew through, but thankfully, seafood froze quite well and wasn't nearly as tough to chew through as frozen deer or elk. She knew she could never live inland- not when the food was much harder not only to catch, but to store and eat. 

Astera wanted to go the trap, which frustrated Suzu slightly as only a moment ago, they'd been headef toward the tunnel to take them back up toward the den, at Astera's request. "Do you want to go home, or to de trap?" She asked, hoping the kid would realize that they were not at all in the same direction. "De trap is a little ways away- you are sure you are not too tired? Because we still 'ave to get up t'rough de tunnel after," She said. Astera, by this point, was too big to carry. She'd have to learn to gauge her own energy levels, now.

Astera hardly took any time to consider her options. Trap! Trap! Trap! She sat down stubbornly, as if to say that if they were not going to the trap, they were not going anywhere at all. I'm not tired! Astera shot a glare at Ravin, warning him not to speak out against her. It didn't matter if anyone else wanted to go home, Astera wanted to see the trap.

”Fine fine fine!” She said, hoping to shush the pup. Having grown up alongside Étienne who had been very sensitive to sound, she found Astera to be so much different in contrast. 

”We will go to de trap, check for somet’ing to eat an’ den we will go back up to de den, alright?” She bargained.

Astera's shouting had worked. She added it to her ever expanding list of ways to get what she wants. The pale puffball puppy looked up at her sister, with a look that said all. Are we going or not? Come on! She reached to try and pull Suzu's tail impatiently. The trap awaited.

Puppy privilege was a bit of a nuisance, but instinct told Suzu to more or less obey every plea that came from the child. She could ignore when the kid tugged at her tail and nudged her, yelled at her or pouted. She’d only get away with that behavior for so long- but for now, it worked.

”Yea yes, let’s go!”

Fade here?

Puppy tantrums prevailed. Astera nipped her sister's tail one last time before following her in a merry trot, all tiredness forgotten. She promised herself that she would know every corner of this magnificent territory, and find each and every one of Susu's caches. By the time the evening sun's rays hit the water, Astera would be home. Happy. In time, she wouldn't ever feel like she wsn't born to this family.